Homecoming
by TVFanoftheYear
Summary: The path you choose to take makes all the difference.
1. Homecoming

_Welcome to my first installment that will include TWO possible endings! You can pick which one you want to view, or try both if you're really dying for more #POstable magic! Enjoy the first of three (or 4) chapters! Return each day for a new one-or maybe sooner if I'm feeling ambitious! :)  
_

 _Also, most of this got written before all the previews arrived, so this Holly is a lot different than the ones you see in the promos. But don't worry, I'm going to write some stuff about her, too, in some other pieces up my sleeve!_

* * *

The air had literally been sucked out of the room. Her heart had stopped beating for a second, which felt like minutes, which felt like hours, until her lungs cried out for air. She had never felt so distressed—and all she had done is cross the threshold into the DLO-she, Rita and Norman.

His back was to them, but when he turned to acknowledge that his colleagues had arrived, it became apparent he wasn't alone.

"Holly!" Rita exclaimed, embodying the surprise, and perhaps even confusion, they all collectively shared in that moment.

Holly was nothing like Shane expected. She was tall, confident, and while Shane would have expected her to look as if she's stepped off a Parisian runway, Holly's choice of dress was demure, but with a modern edge. Her hair was auburn with a gentle wave about it that fell long past her shoulder. She was pretty.

"Oh, my goodness, Rita!" Holly replied, as if seeing an old friend for the first time in years, one she didn't hesitate to approach, taking both Rita's hands in hers.

"You look so different-and those bangs, they are absolutely adorable!" She cried.

"Well I'm Miss Special Delivery now. I have been encouraged to try new things…"

Shane could hardly process what was taking place in front of her.

This was not the woman who left Oliver standing alone in the National Postal Museum in front of the Pony Express exhibit. It couldn't be. She wasn't a villain; no amount of wanderlust could have taken the woman standing in front of her half a world away from a husband who so desperately missed her for all this time. This couldn't be _that_ woman.

But it _was_ this woman, this Holly O'Toole, who had done just that.

"Norman, it's been a while," she greeted with a smile. He nodded the shy way he always does and smiled. He put up a hand to say hello.

And then it was Shane's turn.

Out of an inexplicable urge, Shane looked back to Oliver, and though their eyes only met for a second, the conversation that took place there could have lasted hours. He was only 200 feet away, but suddenly it felt like 2000 miles.

Moments, memories, all the conversations, dances- they cut across both their minds, forcing everything else out, even words. Neither one of them had any idea why it happened, what it meant, or what to do about it.

And then he spoke.

"Holly, this is Ms. McInerney, she joined our team over a year ago now," Oliver explained.

To anyone else he would have seemed normal. But to Shane, knowing what she knew, seeing what she had seen, having been through what she'd been through with him, she could tell that Oliver was anything but alright. In fact, he even seemed a little apologetic for calling her Ms. McInerney.

Shane could feel the energy in the room shift. She could feel Rita and Norman wanting to be anywhere but in the DLO at that exact moment. She wondered if Oliver could feel it too. But, most importantly, she wondered if Holly felt it.

They had to know it was ok. _He_ had to know that it was ok-that _she_ was ok.

"Shane," she corrected gently, extending her hand, "You can just call me Shane."

Holly's eyes were warm, as if she was sincerely happy to meet her, even if, just for a second, Shane detected a bit of uneasiness about the obvious similarities between their height and style of dress. It was if, for a moment, she may have thought "replacement," but she somehow pushed past it. Or maybe it was just Shane's imagination.

"Nice to meet you, Shane."

Her handshake was gentle, but firm.

"Well, I should probably get going-let you and your team get back to work," Holly admitted, turning her attention back to Oliver, whose face had a melancholic expression that his smile was doing a considerable amount of work to erase all on its own, but was unsuccessful.

"See you tonight," she said to Oliver, laying a hand gently on his arm before leaning in to kiss him on the cheek.

The unfamiliar display of affection caused Rita, Norman and Shane to avert their eyes, all of them opting for the floor.

For Shane, the moment caused her to flash back to before the Christmas pageant, remembering her lips brush across that same warm and soft cheek. It caused a twinge of jealousy, but even more so regret within her. If that moment had never happened, she wouldn't have had the experience to compare it to now.

"See you all," she said, addressing the three before taking her leave.

With her exit, a million questions flooded the room, but not a single word left any of their lips. How could they?

The silence persisted between the four of them for a moment longer.

"I, um, will need to excuse myself for a bit," Oliver finally said, circumventing any questions from being answered even if they had managed to find their voices again. The shock of everything was written all over his face, so much so it drowned out any other emotions that might have found expression there.

Shane noticed Rita and Norman dispersing to their workstations even as Oliver prepared to leave. Where he was going, no one knew-but no one dared ask, either.

Shane had half the mind to follow him. As much as she was sure he needed his space, she was so curious as to how Holly had managed to magically appear in the DLO. She, Rita and Norman had only been gone for a little while. What could have possibly transpired between Oliver and Holly during that time? They had managed to make dinner plans for goodness sake! Why hadn't Oliver appeared overjoyed to see her? He should have been glowing. Instead, he seemed deeply conflicted and confused. How could Holly have been so calm and collected and fine? Didn't she see Oliver's distress?

Instead of following him, Shane simply followed suit, putting herself, and her curiosity, behind a computer to _not_ wonder about the drama unfolding before her.

* * *

 _Stay tuned for the next chapter tomorrow...or maybe sooner!_


	2. The Choice

Remaining behind her computer had not worked.

It lasted all of ten minutes, during which time her stress level had risen to the point of causing her physical restlessness. She still struggled to identify just why the feelings inside her only managed to escalate. All she knew is that she had to find a way to remedy it.

Fortunately for her, working the floor was always an option. And though her sorting skills were at an amateur level at best, she needed the hustle and bustle of those surroundings to drown out her thoughts.

And then a letter destined for Paris made its way into her hands for sorting that stopped her in her tracks.

Holly's return had occurred. It was not as if it hadn't always been a possibility. In fact, the moment she put things into motion as a result of her own reckless curiosity, the possibility came into existence. It was never more possible than when Oliver finally wrote Holly a letter, the contents of which still remained unknown to anyone but Oliver. And it was inevitable the moment the lid snapped shut on that mailbox in front of Denver Mercy Hospital.

Then again, was her return even a result of the letter? The rain was pouring down when she watched Oliver stand in front of that mailbox, clearly conflicted-scared even. Could that explain why her return seemed so delayed-could the letter have never made it? Had she returned on her own accord? And for what?

Did the what-for even matter?

Wasn't this what she had wanted for Oliver-for him to finally get some closure with Holly? What had she expected?

She didn't know.

She didn't know what she had expected. And since her expectations were as undefined as her relationship with Oliver, it was no wonder he had barely managed to introduce her to his no longer wandering wife. Nor was it any wonder she was experiencing the emotional fit she had unintentionally worked herself into.

It was this lack of definition that plagued her thoughts. It made it impossible for her to confront how she felt about Holly returning. Did she even have a right to feel anything about it? Did she even really care about Oliver and Holly, or did she care more about she and Oliver?

Her mind quickly sorted through the catalog of times she and Oliver had agonized over Holly, whether verbally or non-verbally, together or alone.

The Posta-ball suddenly came back to her mind, and with it Oliver's gentle rebuke of her decision to teach Jordan a few dance steps. It was one of the few times he had ever revealed a manner in which he defined their relationship. It wasn't much, but it was something. Those dance steps were to remain between them, that much was clear.

But when she pushed her thoughts back further into their relationship, she remembered that day he canceled their dance lessons months before that.

 _So, in the event she should tire of Paris and return to Denver, then you'll be ready to…dance with her._

 _Yes. I hope so._

How is it, that in a matter of a few months, those dance classes had transformed from something to be reserved for Holly, to something Oliver could firmly place boundaries around in which she was included?

But, more importantly, to whom would those steps belong now? The thought caused a distinct pain in her chest, one she couldn't put words to.

It held them together. It felt like the only thing left to hold them together now. Once that was gone, what would there be?

Did it even matter-to whom they belonged? Or that that person might not be her?

It seemed like all the answers were so far away.

 _Or were they?_

She shook her head, as if to shake the inquiries clear from her mind.

It only lasted so long.

When they began again, however, her focus began to shift. The thoughts that came didn't feel like her own-it was as if they had been suddenly brought to her, calming her spirit.

Was it more important to know what had possessed Holly to abandon her sweet, gentle husband, or was it more important to make sure Oliver had no regrets about this once in a lifetime moment-this long awaited return that had somehow managed to haunt not only Oliver, but her as well?

There is no question that she and Oliver shared a bond. It was undefined, but undeniable.

But what if the bond wasn't dependent upon what Oliver had with Holly? What if that bond was strong enough to stand all on its own, no matter what the future brought? What if she drew the boundary for her relationship with Oliver? What if, instead of protecting the dance steps like he had, she invested in protecting their bond?

That was her priority. That was something she could control.

She was inexplicably drawn to Oliver and all that he was, and all that he could be-there was always something more there, and that more is what gave her the peace that radiated through every part of her at that moment.

 _Perfect love casts out…[fear]…[and pain] and replaces it with hope._

Shane was ready to return to the DLO.

* * *

 _There are two possible endings to this story. Stay tuned for both!_


	3. Ending 1: The Bond

Here is the first of two possible endings to this story. This one is probably closest to canon. Hang on tight for the other ending coming tomorrow-or maybe sooner! The first part is italicized because it acts as the introduction to both this ending **AND** the alternate ending. Each has very different results. Enjoy!

* * *

 _Shane realized very quickly just how long she had spent on the sorting floor. Evening had fallen outside, and the lamps all around gave the DLO a warm and comforting glow. Rita and Norman were both long gone, their workstations immaculate and ready for whatever the next day would bring._

 _She had only taken a few steps inside when she noticed Oliver trying unsuccessfully to tie his tie in front of the small mirror next to Norman's desk. She could have sworn it was the same tie he had been wearing earlier in the day, but she didn't care to speculate why he'd removed it to be having such trouble with it now. She did want to help him, though._

 _"You know, it might not be you-it might be the tie," Shane teased, drawing his attention to her arrival._

 _He seemed a bit flustered, but also unwilling to give up on the task at hand, "Yes, well, that doesn't change the fact I can't seem to tie it."_

 _Shane suddenly remembered the spare tie he kept in his desk, in the second drawer from the bottom, on the right side. It went much better with his suit than the one he was fighting with in front of the mirror._

 _She retrieved it, and joined him at the mirror._

 _"Oliver," she began, gently placing a hand on his shoulder, "Let me help you."_

 _He relented, gratefully. She smiled, pulling the tie from around his neck and preparing the other tie she had retrieved from his desk to replace it._

 _She could feel him watching her, though Shane avoided eye contact for reasons she couldn't articulate. Instead, she focused intently on her task._

 _"I had no idea you were an expert on tying ties," Oliver commented, clearly needing to fill the silence._

 _She smiled, remembering how it wasn't too long ago she learned the skill._

 _"I learned to teach Rita," she reminisced. "She told me about this time she wasn't able to tie Norman's tie...it was like us teaching them to dance. I just didn't want her to miss her chance next time, you know?"_

 _Shane's focus temporarily diverted away from his tie, which she was on her second attempt tying, to find Oliver looking at her intently, with a look on his face like she had never seen before. It reached for her very soul, but she couldn't tell what he might have found there._

 _"Yes, I do know," he whispered, commiserating with her, his eyes never leaving hers. He cleared his throat._

 _Shane attempted his tie once more. She knew he must be getting ready to meet Holly. Holly had not failed to mention her intention to see Oliver that night._

 _It wasn't the best course of thought for her to assume at that moment. She needed to focus on she and Oliver, not Oliver and Holly. This she could control. That she could not._

 _She closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath. And then something unexpected happened._

 _"So are you ready?" She whispered._

 _"Beg your pardon?"_

 _"Are you ready…." Shane stumbled, suddenly unable to control the words coming out of her mouth-or were they from somewhere else entirely?_

 _"…To dance…with her…with Holly?"_

 _The moment the sentence fell off her lips she hated herself for it. She avoided eye contact, but she noticed the rhythm of the rise and fall of his chest change under fingertips. She gently straightened his tie, having successfully tied it, doing her best to ignore it. She must have shocked him, but she couldn't find the words to take it back._

 _"I'm not sure," he admitted._

It was apparently his turn to shock her. But his uncertainty rubbed her the wrong way-after all that had happened, and he didn't know?

 _Perfect love casts out…[fear]…[and pain] and replaces it with hope._

Shane could feel something rising inside of her, and the words she wanted were suddenly at the edge of her lips.

"Well you want to know what I think?" Shane asked, straightening his jacket.

He smiled, "Of course."

"You amaze me," She declared."Two years, ten dance lessons and one letter-and you believe you aren't ready to sweep your wife off her feet?"

A look of mild embarrassment crossed Oliver's face.

"You _are_ ready, Oliver. There's no one in the world more ready than you. You're about to have the chance of a lifetime. Whatever you wrote to her has brought her back from the other side of the world. I know of no one else who would be capable of that, or who deserves this moment more," She encouraged.

"Besides, I don't know a single woman in the world who shouldn't be grateful for a man who never let her go, and not only never let her go, took dance lessons to make sure he was ready to dance with her when she returned, no matter how long that took. We should all be so lucky."

She was starting to sound like a cheerleader. But she believed even if she was struggling with all of this, there was no reason he should be distracted and risk taking his eye off his prize.

At that, Oliver seemed to stand a little taller. She even saw that trademark smile tug at the edge of his lips.

As soon as she finished her sentence, she began to realize what she was feeling was strength. And she was drawing that strength from her relationship with Oliver.

He deserved this. She wanted this for him.

He stepped forward and gently kissed her cheek, 'Thank you, Ms. McInerney."

"Always, Mr. O'Toole." Her cheeks were burning like never before.

He was going to give this his best shot. And she was going to make sure he did. He owed it to himself, and for all he had confided in her, she owed it to him.

"You better go," She whispered, not knowing when he intended to meet Holly, but knew the longer he stood there, the longer she would wait.

"Right," he agreed, turning to retrieve his coat.

She watched him hurry towards the door, a bit of pride welling up inside of her. She was proud to know this true gentleman.

But just before he exited, he looked back at her.

She nodded and smiled.

 _Good luck._

He nodded back and smiled.

That was their bond. That's what she sought to solidify and strengthen with her actions. And that's what she would continue to protect, no matter what.

* * *

 _Are you brave enough to try the alternate ending? Return here tomorrow for that installment!_


	4. Alternate Ending: This Chance

_You guys may end up hating me for this chapter. You'll have to let me know in the reviews-and don't forget to tell me which ending you liked better!_

* * *

 _Shane realized very quickly just how long she had spent on the sorting floor. Evening had fallen outside, and the lamps all around gave the DLO a warm and comforting glow. Rita and Norman were both long gone, their workstations immaculate and ready for whatever the next day would bring._

 _She had only taken a few steps inside when she noticed Oliver trying unsuccessfully to tie his tie in front of the small mirror next to Norman's desk. She could have sworn it was the same tie he had been wearing earlier in the day, but she didn't care to speculate why he'd removed it to be having such trouble with it now. She did want to help him, though._

 _"You know, it might not be you-it might be the tie," Shane teased, drawing his attention to her arrival._

 _He seemed a bit flustered, but also unwilling to give up on the task at hand, "Yes, well, that doesn't change the fact I can't seem to tie it."_

 _Shane suddenly remembered the spare tie he kept in his desk, in the second drawer from the bottom, on the right side. It went much better with his suit than the one he was fighting with in front of the mirror._

 _She retrieved it, and joined him at the mirror._

 _"Oliver," she began, gently placing a hand on his shoulder, "Let me help you."_

 _He relented, gratefully. She smiled, pulling the tie from around his neck and preparing the other tie she had retrieved from his desk to replace it._

 _She could feel him watching her, though Shane avoided eye contact for reasons she couldn't articulate. Instead, she focused intently on her task._

 _"I had no idea you were an expert on tying ties," Oliver commented, clearly needing to fill the silence._

 _She smiled, remembering how it wasn't too long ago she learned the skill._

 _"I learned to teach Rita," she reminisced. "She told me about this time she wasn't able to tie Norman's tie...it was like us teaching them to dance. I just didn't want her to miss her chance next time, you know?"_

 _Shane's focus temporarily diverted away from his tie, which she was on her second attempt tying, to find Oliver looking at her intently, with a look on his face like she had never seen before. It reached for her very soul, but she couldn't tell what he might have found there._

 _"Yes, I do know," he whispered, commiserating with her, his eyes never leaving hers. He cleared his throat._

 _Shane attempted his tie once more. She knew he must be getting ready to meet Holly. Holly had not failed to mention her intent to see Oliver that night._

 _It wasn't the best course of thought for her to assume at that moment. She needed to focus on she and Oliver, not Oliver and Holly._ _This_ _she could control._ _That_ _she could not._

 _She closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath. And then something unexpected happened._

 _"So are you ready?" She whispered._

 _"Beg your pardon?"_

 _"Are you ready…." Shane stumbled, suddenly unable to control the words coming out of her mouth-or were they from somewhere else entirely?_

 _"…To dance…with her…with Holly?"_

 _The moment the sentence fell off her lips she hated herself for it. She avoided eye contact, but she noticed the rhythm of the rise and fall of his chest change under fingertips. She gently straightened his tie, having successfully tied it, doing her best to ignore it. She must have shocked him, but she couldn't find the words to take it back._

 _"I'm not sure," he admitted._

The response caused Shane to look up back into those eyes, hoping her defenses would rise to meet them. She was disappointed to find they did not, and she was just as vulnerable as the time before.

His defenses, however, seemed to rise slightly. Her intuition was that it was not to keep her out, but rather to hold something in.

"Could you help me remember the steps?" Oliver asked.

Shane struggled to find the words she wanted. Why did Oliver need her to help him remember the steps? What could she possibly help him remember about the path back to his wife whom she barely knew?

 _Did he want to dance?_

By this time Oliver had cued the record player and taken his place in the center of the room, waiting for her. He let the first few bars fill the room before reaching out his hand. She recognized them all too well.

He could see the hesitation in her eyes.

Oliver smiled reassuringly. "Please…just come," he said softly.

The problem was if she took his hand, she voluntarily gave up any control she might have. He would lead.

But maybe he should.

Shane took his hand, and he immediately guided her through the steps they knew so well.

 _In every heart there is a room  
A sanctuary safe and strong  
To heal the wounds from lover's past  
Until a new one comes along_

Her world was spinning, both literally and figuratively. But it was this time in Oliver's arms, doing something so familiar, that made everything fall away.

 _I spoke to you in cautious tones  
You answered me with no pretense  
And still I feel I said too much  
My silence is my self defense_

Control. That was her self-defense. And not that she possessed it often, but when she did, she held on as tight as she could. But as she continued to share this moment with Oliver, she could feel herself slowly letting go.

Oliver could tell she was struggling with something, she could see the concern in his eyes. But she swore there was a similar struggle raging on behind those lovely eyes of his. She suddenly felt like she wasn't alone-in what, though, she wasn't sure.

 _And every time I've held a rose  
It seems I only felt the thorns  
And so it goes and so it goes  
And so will you soon, I suppose_

And then she remembered that soon this dance would be over. He would let her go. He would go to his wife. And what then?

 _But if my silence made you leave  
Then that would be my worst mistake_

This was a mistake. Taking his hand, believing that something wouldn't be lost between them-all of that was a mistake. But she had made it, wholeheartedly, because she trusted Oliver. He always did the right thing, but now the right thing would be her undoing.

Her vision began to blur.

 _So I will share this room with you  
And you can have this heart to break_

Oliver dipped her gently, and as he did, she realized this dance did nothing but knit their hearts together more, which would make the divorce of them that much more painful the moment he walked out the door to give his heart back to whom it truly belonged.

As he gently pulled her back in, she could feel the tears coming so strongly that she refused to open her eyes. She was finally ready to admit where all the agonizing had truly come from—her heart. And she knew the moment her eyes opened it would break.

Their progress had stopped, but the music continued. Oliver remained silent, but he never let go of her. In fact, she may have even detected him pulling her closer, the scent of his cologne filled her nose but with her eyes closed, it was hard to tell.

Shane took a deep breath in and out, finding the courage to open her eyes, even if she couldn't lift them to meet his.

"Shane?" he said softly.

She cringed to hear Oliver call her by her name. It meant he wanted her to look at him, that he had something to say. But there was nothing he could say right now, and she couldn't find the words if she tried. How could she possibly explain something she was only now realizing, and was powerless to even rectify?

Her voice broke, "Oliver...I just…"

And then Shane realized something. She had been so absorbed in the moment to even realize that he had led that entire dance. He hadn't _needed_ her to help him remember, he _wanted_ her to help him remember.

"I'm afraid, Ms. McInerney, that I haven't been entirely truthful with you."

She could feel her brow furrow. What could he possibly mean?

As if reading her mind, "I allowed you to believe my intention was to pursue my wife, when, in fact...it was my intention to find you."

Shane fought internally with what she was hearing and the reality that Oliver's wife was _finally_ here and that he deserved to pursue her.

"But you have this chance-you need this chance…" Shane pleaded half-heartedly, finding the courage to look him in the eye.

"What about the chance I have right here?" He whispered, gently squeezing her hand, which he still held.

Shane was speechless.

"See, I asked you to help me remember the steps. But the thing of it is, I realized I never forgot them," He began, still clearly trying to piece together what it was he truly wanted to convey.

Oliver was clearly out of his comfort zone. After all, that was the longest he had ever kept Shane so close, and it was clear he had no intention of letting go.

"You're so concerned about my chance with my wife, that you didn't see that I was trying to take a chance with you," he admitted quietly. "I would _like_ a chance with you...Shane. I made the mistake of letting you go once. I won't do that again."

 _Oliver..._

* * *

Shane opened her eyes, suddenly disoriented.

She looked around to find that she was, in fact, in the DLO. It was still night time.

Shane tried to piece together the evening. The last thing she remembered was being on the sorting floor and making the decision to come back.

 _That's right..._

She had arrived to find it empty. The afternoon had come and gone and she was exhausted. Part of her had been glad Oliver wasn't there. It was one thing to support Oliver, it was something else entirely for her to support reuniting with his wife feeling as conflicted as she did.

Before she knew it, she was behind Oliver's desk, her fingertips gently tracing the various nicknacks and old things that were precious to him. And then the exhaustion of the day overwhelmed her.

 _I fell asleep in his chair..._

Something that had not been there when her eyes closed, however, was the strong scent of Oliver's cologne. She looked down to find the suit jacket he had been wearing that day carefully draped over her.

 _That dream..._

Shane surveyed the room to find him nowhere in sight, but saw that a few of the lamps had been turned down and a few turned off since she fell asleep. She could feel her cheeks burning as she imagined him tenderly tucking her in.

She couldn't help but pull his suit jacket a little tighter around herself.

Shane didn't quite know what had happened, but she knew she could afford at least a few more minutes like this, especially if she could go back to sleep and finish that dream.

* * *

 _Reviews always welcome. Be back in a few days with some new stuff!_


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